Liz and Michael’s Laid-Back Destination Wedding in Hawaii

1
of
15

The Couple

Bryan Derballa

The day Liz Cebron met Michael Williams for a rooftop lunch arranged by a mutual friend in 2011, it was a scorching 90 degrees. The New Yorkers hit it off, but it’s not the scintillating conversation that she remembers most. “Michael wore a black button-down shirt, and he wasn’t sweating at all,” says Liz, a digital strategist for J.Crew. “I thought that was pretty amazing!” When she and Michael, founder of a marketing firm and a style blogger at A Continuous Lean, met up a few weeks later at a music festival in Newport, Rhode Island, the pal Liz had come with wanted to head back to Manhattan early. Michael stepped up and offered to take Liz home later. “The rest,” he says, “is history.”

Just over two years later, Michael popped the question, only this time he wasn’t as cool. (In fact, his face and neck were so flushed, he told Liz he had razor burn.) Despite his nerves—and a few seconds of fumbling for the ring—he managed to propose during an evening walk in Central Park, catching her completely off-guard. That wasn’t the only surprise: He also flew in Liz’s parents from California for a celebration at a nearby restaurant. When it came to planning their April 26, 2014, wedding, the couple made it a top priority to trade the city for the surf, inviting 103 loved ones to join them for a luau at The Club at Kukui’ula, a private property on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. “It’s hard for us to relax with the craziness of New York and our jobs, and it’s hard not to relax and be happy when you’re in Hawaii,” says Liz.

2
of
15

3
of
15

Hanging Out

Bryan Derballa

Michael, with his groomsmen and groomswoman, relaxes on a Kukui’ula cottage porch before the ceremony. Many guests stayed on the property for the weekend. “It felt like college again, in a good way,” says the bride.

3
of
15

Advertisement

4
of
15

The Ceremony

Bryan Derballa

The entire day was marked by just the kind of mellowness the duo craved. A slack-key guitarist played during the nondenominational ceremony, which took place in front of an elephant-ear tree on the six-acre farm at Kukui’ula.

Island Style

10
of
15

11
of
15

The Reception

Bryan Derballa

Everyone took part in a traditional Hawaiian pig roast. After the meal, when the DJ pumped up the volume, the groom—who had been hurt in a ski accident just months before—had another surprise in store. “We didn’t know if he’d heal in time to walk, let alone dance,” says Liz. But true to form, Michael didn’t sweat it. In the end, he didn’t even need a leg brace, making their first twirl as husband and wife extra-unforgettable. By the morning of the wedding, Michael and Liz still hadn’t decided on their first dance song. They ultimately chose The Beatles’ “Something.”